It was meant to be an open and honest interview about Young Dro’s recovery journey, but when one of the rapper’s friends couldn’t resist cracking jokes, the conversation took a tense turn.
During a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, the “Shoulder Lean” artist sat down with T.I. to discuss his career and personal life. However, when Dro revealed his struggles with drug abuse and a near-fatal overdose, a background crew member couldn’t suppress a laugh, sparking a heated exchange.
Dro bluntly told his laughing friend, “Aye, you finna get slapped,” as the 45-year-old rapper clearly felt the weight of the moment. “I mean, we’re cool, but I’ll slap the sh*t out of you ’bout that.”
The friend’s casual response, “You ain’t going to slap me now,” seemed to aggravate Dro even more, prompting him to respond, “What do you want to do?”
Fortunately, T.I. was there to step in and restore order, reminding everyone of the importance of the moment. “Aye, look! Remember who you came in with!” the “Live Your Life” rapper exclaimed. “Remember what we are doing here, man. Come on, man. Get this sh*t together, bruh. Aiight?!”
Dro later gathered himself and apologized to his friend, acknowledging that he had “got beside” himself and shouldn’t have “taken feelings to that.”
The tense exchange was a stark contrast to the open and vulnerable tone Dro had struck just moments earlier when discussing his journey to sobriety. Speaking candidly about his struggles, the rapper revealed that his decision to enter rehab came after a series of wake-up calls, including an overdose and his own daughter’s battle with drug use.
“I felt like I should dig into the inside of me and find out what I have to give to the public,” Dro said, explaining his decision to step back from music for a time. “I believe that everyone possesses positive qualities.” And if nobody can find the good in you or see the good in you, I think you should give ’em a hug and tell ’em life is difficult for the blind.”
Dro, who has been open about his ongoing struggles with maintaining his sobriety amidst the temptations of the hip-hop lifestyle, clearly resonated with this poignant message. As he expressed to DJ Vlad earlier this year, “Maintaining sobriety remains a challenge because I continue to engage in a hip-hop party lifestyle.”
But through it all, Dro has remained steadfast in his commitment to his recovery, celebrating 17 months of sobriety at the time of the Breakfast Club interview. And while the interruption from his friend threatened to derail the conversation, T.I.’s timely intervention helped steer the discussion back to the gravity of Dro’s story.
Ultimately, the tense moment served as a powerful reminder that the journey to sobriety is a serious matter—a lesson that clearly resonated with Dro’s peers, including Killer Mike, who took to social media to share words of encouragement for the rapper.
“Proud of my brother Dro,” the Grammy-winning artist wrote. “As a man, he changed his life and is now making sure kids in Atlanta hear his message [of] self-love and self-empowerment.”
Dro seems determined to continue sharing this message, despite occasional inappropriate laughter. Comedy has no place in the realm of addiction and recovery.